![]() ![]() "But there are behind the scenes - operating lights, working on music software, building sets, seamstress, front of house, manager, etc. "When people think theater they think you just want to be an actor," Brandon said. Theater is a possible career choice, though, and youth programs show kids how varied that path can be. "If you put yourself out there you get to do funner things, make friends and express how you feel when you sing," Dylan said. This new experience has taught him about expressing himself and having fun. More: 'They don't realize they're learning': Program remediates students with hands-on experiencesĭylan Simon, 11, is part of his first show this summer - playing three roles in "Doctor Dolittle Jr.," which runs June 25-27. "And I've learned how to do different little things that add up to one thing - the show." "I love to perform and make people happy," Katherine said. ![]() She started at Wonderland Performing Arts two years ago, and she's been hooked since her first show. It took much more time to do them all separately. Theater allows Katherine Richard, 10, to combine her passions for dancing, singing and acting in one time and place. "It's important for kids to feel like they have a place to belong, to find their people." "These are opportunities for kids to get involved in what they love, and it's their place," Broussard said. It's also a chance to find something they're good at that maybe they haven't been able to try before, Broussard said. "You learn about attitude, being part of something bigger than yourself. You can take that anywhere you go." "A show is the ultimate team effort," said Allison Barron Brandon, founder of Wonderland Performing Arts in Lafayette. Whether a week-long summer camp or a show season, children often find something they need preparing for the production. "It builds confidence so even if you get the rejection, if you get the no, you know you've done the best you could, and that's more than others could because you were training for it." 'They have a place to belong' "''When I'm sitting across the table for a job interview, a college interview or trying to get a raise, how can I best present myself so it works?' ![]() "If they walk away with one thing from my class it is, 'How do I best promote myself?'" Reed said. While that would be great, she has a different primary goal for her theater students. ![]() She doesn't expect to see them all in movies one day. Landry Parish, she's worked with a lot of kids over the years. Between camp and her students in the Talented Theater program in St. "We lost a great deal of that during COVID. When you're working on a project this big (the shows) you have to problem-solve and communicate your reasoning in a respectful way."ĭana Reed has been leading a summer camp at The Opelousas Little Theatre since the late 1990s, and this year it's three days a week for three weeks of June. "These kids are getting constant practice in social skills and problem-solving," Broussard said. While learning their lines, they're also learning music history and how to communicate with each other, which Broussard said is as necessary now as it ever was, due to screen-time and isolation during the pandemic. The Lafayette branch is split among three chapters - South, Central and Vermilion. Broussard helped found the Vermilion chapter five years ago, and it has grown to about 250 students meeting weekly for classes at First Baptist Church in Abbeville. "We're trying to help kids understand their character - not just the character they're playing, but who they are as a person and how that coincides with living life," said Joy Broussard, coordinator of the Vermilion chapter of CYT Lafayette. They also put on full-scale productions with kids 8-18.īut that's not all they're working on in class. Throughout the year the group offers classes in drama, music, dance, technical theater and more for kids ages 4-18. Whether or not they make it to Hollywood or Broadway one day, these children are walking away with life skills and confidence.ĬYT Lafayette is one of 28 affiliates of Christian Youth Theater, the largest after-school theater arts training program in the nation. School might be out, but the show must go on, with local performances and camps taking place over the next two months. Kids as young as 4 years old are taking part in youth theater programs in Acadiana throughout the year, and summer is no exception. View Gallery: Youth theater programs are teaching Acadiana kids life skills ![]()
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